Real time safety systems

ABSTRACT

A system for managing hazards in a construction site is presented. One aspect of the inventive subject matter includes a hazard management system comprising a hazard context database, a sensor interface, and a hazard analysis engine. The sensor interface is configured to acquire a site data feed that is representative of a construction site. The hazard analysis engine is configured to (i) instantiate a hazard object by comparing the site data feed to hazard criteria of the plurality of hazard contexts, (ii) update the hazard object based on the site data feed, (iii) generate hazard notification criteria related to the hazard object, (iv) obtain worker attributes from the site data, and (v) transmit a hazard notification to an output device when the worker attributes cause satisfaction of the hazard notification criteria.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is the management of construction hazards.

BACKGROUND

Hazards in plants and construction sites are often difficult to manage.The size of these plants and construction sites and the dynamic natureof the hazards add to the complexities. For example, an area in aconstruction site may appear to be safe at a moment but becomeshazardous in the next moment when heavy machineries or toxic materialsare moved to the area. In another example, the hazardous level of abuilding construction site may vary over time as different hazardousconditions exist at different stages of the construction.

Various systems and methods have been suggested for managingconstruction sites. For example, U.S. patent application publication2007/0027732 to Hudgens (published in February, 2007) proposes a systemthat stores geographical locations of different hazards in aconstruction site and generates alerts to workers when they are inproximity of those areas. Another example of a construction riskmanagement system is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,752,020 to Seppanen et al.(issued in July, 2010). Another example of generating alerts forconstruction workers is found in U.S. patent application publication2011/0313874 to Hardie et al. (published in December, 2011), whichteaches a system that generates notifications to workers based on theirlocations.

Other examples of location based alerts and services include:

-   -   U.S. patent application publication 2011/023864 to Ingram et al.        titled “System for Event-Based Intelligent-Targeting”, filed        Mar. 23, 2011;    -   U.S. patent publication 2009/0111462 to Krinsky et al. titled        “Location Based Service Quality Assessment”, filed Jun. 19,        2008; and    -   International application publication WO 2010/077006 to Kim        titled “Location Information Tagging Method and Apparatus for        Location-Based Service in Wireless Communication System”, filed        Dec. 23, 2009.

However, none of the systems effectively deal with the dynamic nature ofhazards in the constructions sites. Thus, there is still a need for asuitable system and method that simplifies the task of managing hazardsin a plant or construction site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive subject matter provides systems, apparatus, and methodsfor managing hazards in a construction site. One aspect of the inventivesubject matter includes a hazard management system comprising a hazardcontext database, a sensor interface, and a hazard analysis engine. Thehazard context database stores several hazard contexts, where eachhazard context includes hazard criteria and hazard attributes. Thesensor interface is configured to acquire a site data feed having sensordata that is representative of a construction site. The hazard analysisengine is coupled to both the sensor interface and the hazard contextdatabase. The hazard analysis engine is configured to (i) instantiate ahazard object from a hazard context by comparing the site data feed tohazard criteria of the plurality of hazard contexts, (ii) update hazardattributes associated with the hazard object based on the site data feedand the hazard contexts, (iii) generate hazard notification criteriarelated to the hazard object based on the associated hazard attributes,(iv) obtain worker attributes from the site data, and (v) transmit ahazard notification to an output device when the worker attributes causesatisfaction of the hazard notification criteria.

In some embodiments, the analysis engine is further configured toinstantiate the hazard object when a portion of the site data meets thehazard criteria of at least one of the hazard contexts. In someembodiments, the site data includes at least one of the following:environment data, data related to locations of different materials, datarelated to locations of different machineries, data related to locationsof workers, or workers' attributes.

The analysis engine of some of these embodiments is configured toinstantiate the hazard object by initializing the hazard attributesassociated with the hazard object based on the hazard attributes of atleast one of the hazard contexts. In addition, the analysis engine ofsome embodiments is also configured to deconstruct the hazard objectwhen the portion of the site data no longer meets the hazard criteria ofany one of the plurality of hazard contexts.

In some embodiments, the hazard object is a dynamic hazard object. Inthese embodiments, the site data feed is a real-time site data feed, andthe analysis engine is further configured to continuously update thehazard attributes associated with the hazard object based on thereal-time site data feed and the hazard contexts.

The analysis engine of some embodiments is also configured to monitorseveral hazard objects. In some of these embodiments, the hazardmanagement system also includes a dashboard that is configured todisplay a visual representation of the several hazard objects. Inaddition to monitoring, the analysis engine of some embodiments isconfigured to log a history of the several hazard objects, and thedashboard of some embodiments is configured to display the loggedhistory of each of the hazard objects. In some embodiments, the analysisengine of the hazard context management system is also configured tosearch for hazard objects based on a set of hazard attributes.

As mentioned, the analysis engine of some embodiments is configured togenerate hazard notification criteria related to the hazard object basedon the associated hazard attributes, and transmit a hazard notificationto an output device when the worker attributes obtained from the sitedata cause satisfaction of the hazard notification criteria. In someembodiments, the hazard object comprises information that indicates alocation and a boundary within the construction site, and each worker'sattributes include current location of the worker and the certificationsof the worker. The hazard attributes associated with the hazard objectin some of these embodiments include compliance requirements for workersto enter a boundary of the hazard object. Thus, in some of theseembodiments, the analysis engine is configured to generate the hazardnotification criteria that include a history of the hazard object,compliance requirements for the workers, and jurisdiction.

In addition, analysis engine of some embodiments is configured totransmit a notification when the worker attributes indicate that aworker without proper compliance enters a boundary associated with ahazard object. The hazard context management system of some of theseembodiments also includes a dashboard that is configured to allow asupervisor to authorize a particular worker without proper compliance toenter the boundary of the hazard object. Furthermore, the analysisengine of some embodiments is also configured to log a history ofnotifications caused by each worker on the construction site.

In some embodiments, the analysis engine is configured to generate analert to a supervisor (or the person who is responsible for managing theconstruction site) when a hazard condition in the construction site isover a threshold. In these embodiments, the hazard context managementsystem also includes an alert criteria database that stores a set ofhazard alert criteria. Thus, the analysis engine of some embodimentsgenerates an alert when the hazard attributes of one or more hazardobjects collectively satisfy the set of hazard alert criteria.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventivesubject matter will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanyingdrawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 illustrates an example hazard management system.

FIG. 2 illustrates examples of hazard objects of a construction site.

FIG. 3 illustrates other examples of hazard objects of a constructionsite.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following discussion provides many example embodiments of theinventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a singlecombination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter isconsidered to include all possible combinations of the disclosedelements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and asecond embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subjectmatter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A,B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

It should be noted that while the following description is drawn to acomputer/server based hazard management system, various alternativeconfigurations are also deemed suitable and may employ various computingdevices including servers, interfaces, systems, databases, agents,peers, engines, controllers, or other types of computing devicesoperating individually or collectively. One should appreciate thecomputing devices comprise a processor configured to execute softwareinstructions stored on a tangible, non-transitory computer readablestorage medium (e.g., hard drive, solid state drive, RAM, flash, ROM,etc.). The software instructions preferably configure the computingdevice to provide the roles, responsibilities, or other functionality asdiscussed below with respect to the disclosed apparatus. In especiallypreferred embodiments, the various servers, systems, databases, orinterfaces exchange data using standardized protocols or algorithms,possibly based on HTTP, HTTPS, AES, public-private key exchanges, webservice APIs, known financial transaction protocols, or other electronicinformation exchanging methods. Data exchanges preferably are conductedover a packet-switched network, the Internet, LAN, WAN, VPN, or othertype of packet switched network.

As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term“coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which twoelements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirectcoupling (in which at least one additional element is located betweenthe two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with”are used synonymously. Within the context of this document, the terms“coupled to” and “coupled with” are also used euphemistically to mean“communicatively coupled with” over a network where two or more devicesare configured to exchange data over the network, possibly via one ormore intermediary devices.

According to some aspects of the present invention, a hazard managementsystem that includes a hazard context database, a sensor interface, anda hazard analysis engine is presented. Specifically, the hazardmanagement system acquires a live site feed that represents real-timeinformation about a construction site. By comparing the information fromthe site feed and the hazard contexts stored in the hazard contextdatabase, the hazard analysis generates and updates one or more hazardobjects for the construction site. The hazard objects include attributesthat allow the hazard analysis engine to transmit notifications andalerts when certain hazardous conditions arise.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hazard management system 100. Asshown, the hazard management system 100 includes a hazard contextdatabase 105, a sensor interface 110, and an analysis engine 115. Insome embodiments, the hazard context database 105 stores several hazardcontexts. It should be noted that the term “database” in the followingdescription is used to mean a collection of data, which can be stored inany formats and data structures (e.g., a spreadsheet, XML format, adocument file, a relationship database, etc.). Each hazard context canbe considered a separate, distinct manageable object within thedatabase.

Each hazard context stored in the hazard context database 105 representsa particular hazardous condition that may arise in a construction site.As shown in FIG. 1, the hazard context database 105 stores an explosivehazard context, an flammable hazard context, and a toxic hazard context.The explosive hazard context represents a condition that is easilyexploded, the toxic hazard context represents a toxic condition, and theflammable hazard context represents a condition that easily catches onfire. Although the hazard context database 105 in this figure is shownto include only three hazard contexts, other types of hazard contextsthat represent other hazardous condition may also be included. The usermay also add, update, or remove hazard contexts from the hazard contextdatabase 105 as needed. The hazard contexts can be stored according aone or more schemas. For example, the hazard contexts could be storedaccording to a hazard classification system (e.g., fire, personnel,toxic, biohazard, mechanical, etc.). Further, the hazard context couldbe stored according to a hierarchy, possibly where a hazard contextcould inherit properties from its parent. Consider a scenario of anexplosive hazard context. The explosive hazard context might inheritproperties of a fire hazard context. One should appreciate that a hazardcontext does not necessarily represent an actual hazard. Rather, ahazard context represents the characteristics, requirements, or optionalconditions that a hazard could have.

Each of these hazard contexts includes hazard criteria and hazardattributes. The hazard criteria of a hazard context describe thecircumstances, requirements, or optional conditions that must besatisfied by the site data (or a portion of the site data) before aninstance of the hazard context is instantiated. Preferably the hazardcriteria are defined as a function of information derivable from sitedata available in a site feed. For example, the hazard criteria coulddepend on locations of equipment or even specific individuals asobtained from location sensors. In view that the sensor data availableassociated with a construction site can cover a broad spectrum ofmodalities, the hazard criteria can depend on many different types ofdata or data values. Example type of data on which the hazard criteriacan depend include location data, position data, movement data,temperature data, weather data, personnel data, management data,altitude data, jurisdiction data, or other types of data. FIG. 1illustrates that the hazard criteria for the flammable hazard contextinclude the existence of flammable material on the construction site.Thus, the analysis engine 115 would instantiate an instance of theflammable hazard object when the site data indicates that a batch offlammable materials exists. As another concrete example consider anexplosive hazard context; its hazard criteria might function based onexistence of certain explosive materials (e.g., dynamite, gasoline,etc.) and location of fire hazards.

Hazard contexts further include hazard attributes that represent thenature of the hazard context, or the actual hazard in the constructionsite. Some attributes might comprise NULL values that are populated uponinstantiation of an actual hazard within the system. For example, a“location” attribute within a hazard context might not have a valueuntil a corresponding hazard is created. Other attributes can comprise apriori values before instantiation of a corresponding hazard. Forexample, the pre-defined attributes could include a hazard contextidentifier, a hazard name or identifier, hazard materials, or otherinformation.

In some embodiments, entities accessing the context database 105 tosearch for or otherwise manage the contexts. For example, a user couldcreate a new hazard context for use within the system. The user couldalso modify the hazard criteria and hazard attributes of each hazardcontext within the system to fit a specific project or a particularjurisdiction. Hazard context database 105 can be further configured tosupport other management roles or responsibilities possibly includingdeleting hazard context, decommissioning hazard contexts, combininghazard contexts, copying hazard contexts, or other types of managementfunctions.

In some embodiments, the sensor interface 110 is configured to acquire asite data feed having site data that is representative of theconstruction site. The site data feed can include a broad spectrum ofsite data, possibly collect through one or more sensors. Exampleinformation within the site feed could include environment data,locations and other attributes of machineries, materials, workers on theconstruction site. In some embodiments, the information included in thesite data feed is collected from different sources or sensors. Forexample, the information can be collected from location tracking devicesthat are attached to each worker, machinery, and batch of materials inthe construction site. Location tracking devices in this description areused to mean any types of devices that allow the location of the deviceto be accurately tracked using technology such as GPS, Bluetooth beaconarrays, etc. In addition to location tracking devices, other types ofsensor devices (e.g., temperature sensor, accelerometer, pressuresensor, etc.) can also be attached to different locations, machineries,materials, and workers on the construction site to provide up-to-date(real-time) information to the sensor interface 110. In addition to thesensor devices, the sensor interface 110 of some embodiments also allowworkers of the construction site to manually enter updated informationthrough a graphical user interface.

One should appreciate that the site feed can include many differenttypes of data depending on the nature of the site data sources. The datasources can include active sensors or passive sensors. Active sensorsare typically powered and collect or emit sensor data. A worker's cellphone can be considered an active sensor device because it can activelycollect or transmit sensor data (e.g., GPS coordinates, images, sounds,acceleration, etc.). Passive sensors typically lack power to transmittheir data; an RFID tag for example. Still further, the site datasources do not necessarily have to be local to the construction site.Rather, the site data could be from an external source, possiblyreflecting weather, news events, management information, client data, orother sources.

Different embodiments use different technique to implement a real-timesite data feed. In some embodiments, the sensor interface 110 sends apolling signal to the different sensor devices on the construction siteperiodically (e.g., every second, every minute, etc.) in order toretrieve up-to-date data from the sensor devices. In other embodiments,the sensor devices are configured to send updated information to thesensor interface 110 only when the information is changed.

The analysis engine 115 of some embodiments is coupled to both thehazard context database and the sensor interface. In some of theseembodiments, the analysis engine 115 is configured to instantiate ahazard object from a hazard context by comparing the site data feed tohazard criteria of the hazard contexts stored in the hazard contextdatabase. The analysis engine 115 of some embodiments is configured toinstantiate the hazard object when a portion of the site data meets thehazard criteria of at least one of the hazard contexts. Thus, analysisengine 115 monitors the site feed for data that would indicate a hazardis likely. In some embodiments, analysis engine 115 can search forrelevant hazard contexts based on site attributes derived form the sitefeed. In other embodiments, analysis engine 115 can have a list ofrelevant hazard contexts that pertain to the construction. In whichcase, analysis engine 115 can have one or more event listeners thatmonitor the site feed. When a hazard context is satisfied by the sitefeed, analysis engine 115 creates an instantiation of a correspondinghazard. For example, when the site data indicates that a batch ofdynamite has arrived at a location of the construction site, theanalysis engine 115 of some embodiments instantiates a hazard objectrepresenting an actual hazard because the existence of the batch ofdynamite satisfies the hazard criteria of the explosive hazard context.In some embodiments, the hazard object might be associated with morethan one hazard contexts when the portion of the site data (e.g., theexistence of a batch of dynamite) satisfies the hazard criteria of morethan one hazard contexts. One should appreciate that the hazard contextcan remain unaltered and can remain active within the system shouldanother similar hazard become present.

In some embodiments, the analysis engine 115 is configured toinstantiate the hazard object by initializing one or more of the hazardattributes associated with the hazard object. In some of theseembodiments, these hazard attributes are derived from the hazardattributes of the at least one hazard context. In other embodiments, theanalysis engine 115 is configured to initialize additional hazardattributes based on the information from the site feed; for examplelocation of the items (e.g., machineries, materials, workers, etc.) thatcause the satisfaction of the hazard criteria, a boundary, relationshipsbetween the associated hazard contexts, location of the particularhazard object, other hazard objects that overlapped or located inproximity of the hazard object, or other information.

In some embodiments, the instantiated hazard object is a dynamic hazardobject. That is, the hazard object changes its attributes andcharacteristics based on updated information from the real-time sitedata feed. In these embodiments, the analysis engine 115 is furtherconfigured to continuously update the hazard attributes of the hazardobject based on the real-time data feed and the hazard contexts. Forexample, when the batch of dynamite that gives rise to the hazard objectis moved to a different location, the location attribute of the hazardobject is updated by the analysis engine. In addition to updating thehazard attributes of the hazard object, the analysis engine 115 of someembodiments deconstructs the hazard object when the portion of site datano longer satisfies the hazard criteria of the hazard contexts (e.g.,when the batch of dynamite have been moved out of the construction site,when they have been consumed, etc.).

A construction site is usually enormously complex and contains manydifferent types of hazardous condition. Thus, in some preferredembodiments, the analysis engine 115 is configured to instantiate morethan one hazard object to represent different hazardous conditions onthe construction site, and to continuously monitor and update the hazardobjects. In some of these embodiments, the hazard management system 100also includes a dashboard 120 that is configured to provide a visualrepresentation of the hazard objects of the construction site. As such,someone such as a supervisor of the construction site who is responsiblefor managing the site can get an up-to-date visual representation of thesite.

In some embodiments, the visual representation comprises a graphicalrepresentation of the hazard objects where the representations of thehazard objects are displayed in different locations on a virtualconstruction site map that correspond to the different locations of thehazardous conditions. In addition, the dashboard 120 of some embodimentsis configured to provide a graphical user interface to present aninteractive visual representation of the hazard objects. In theseembodiments, a user can interact with the interface of the dashboard 120to select a particular hazard object to perform additional tasks (e.g.,obtain more information about the hazard object).

In view that hazard objects are dynamic in nature and can change withtime, analysis engine 115 can monitor each hazard object individually,collectively, or from one construction project to another. Thus analysisengine 115 can provide, at least at some level, predictions how a hazardobject might change with time. For example, a hazard object's locationmight change with time as an associated material is moving. Such,predictions can have value especially when two or more hazard objectshave conflicting attributes; an explosive hazard object might be movingtoward a fire hazard object for example. Analysis engine 115 can alsoapply statistical information gathers over numerous construct projectsto provide a confidence, probability, or likelihood that the hazardobject becomes or is hazardous.

Using the instantiated hazard objects, the hazard management system 100of some embodiments also provide the ability to generate and sendnotification to workers and/or supervisors based on a certain event thatoccurred in the construction site. In these embodiments, the analysisengine 115 is configured to generate hazard notification criteriarelated to each hazard object based on the associated hazard attributes,and transmit a hazard notification to an output device (e.g. outputdevices 145 a-145 n) when the worker attributes obtained from the sitedata cause satisfaction of the hazard notification criteria.

In some embodiments, the hazard notification criteria include acriterion as simple as no one is allowed to enter the boundaryassociated with the hazard object. In other embodiments, the hazardnotification criteria include additional information such as compliancerequirement information, jurisdictional information, client information,construction firm information, legal information, regulatoryinformation, or other types of information that do not necessarilydepend on sensor data. For example, the hazard notification criteria insome embodiments include compliance requirements such as a requirementof finishing an explosive material training in order for a worker to belocated within fifty meters of the explosive materials. Thus, when thesite data feed indicates that a worker without explosive materialtraining comes within fifty meters of the location of the explosivematerials, the analysis engine 115 is configured to transmit anotification to an output device that is attached to the worker to warnthe worker, and/or to an output device for the supervisor so that he/shecan take appropriate action.

The hazard notification criteria can also include one or more escalationconditions. As conditions associated with a hazard object becomes moreurgent, more dangerous, or higher priority, analysis engine 115 canconsult the escalation conditions to determine how to send thenotification. At first, a notification might merely comprise an emailsent once a day. As the hazard object become more urgent, analysisengine 115 might send hourly text messages. Still further, a more urgentnotification might include phone calls to a worker's cell phone. Evenmore urgently, a notification could include multiple calls to co-workersor even a siren blast.

It is contemplated that a worker's hardhat can be instrumented withsensors or notification reception devices in case the worker does nothave access to their cell phone or other reception device. As hazardnotifications are sent to the worker, the hardhat could vibrate, emit asound, or others provide an indication of an imminent hazard.

Since different jurisdictions impose different compliance requirementson construction workers, the hazard notification criteria in someembodiments also include jurisdiction information in addition tocompliance requirements. Also, the hazard notification criteria mayinclude information related to the history of the hazard object.

In some embodiments, the analysis engine 115 is also configured to log ahistory of notifications transmitted that are caused by each worker onthe construction site, so that the supervisor may keep track of thebehavior of each worker.

Through the dashboard 120, the analysis engine 115 of some embodimentsalso allow a supervisor to authorize a particular worker to enter theboundary of a hazard object even though the particular work does nothave the required compliance requirements. This ability allows forflexibility when special circumstances (e.g., an emergency situation)arise.

In addition to a notification system for the workers, the hazardmanagement system 100 of some embodiments also provide alerts to thesupervisor of the construction site based on some conditions arise outof one or more hazard objects. For example, it is contemplated that thehazard management system 100 would send out an alert when explosivematerials are located too close to flammable materials. Thus, the hazardmanagement system 100 of these embodiments also includes an alertcriteria database that stores a set of hazard alert criteria. In theseembodiments, the analysis engine 15 is also configured to generate analert when the hazard attributes of one or more hazard objectscollectively satisfy the set of hazard alert criteria.

Furthermore, the analysis engine 115 of some embodiments is alsoconfigured to log a history of the hazard objects of the constructionsite. In some embodiments, the history of a hazard objects includechanges of locations, changes of the hazard attributes, etc. In some ofthese embodiments, the dashboard 120 is also configured to display thelogged history of each of the hazard objects. Through the dashboard 120,the analysis engine 115 of some embodiments is also configured to allowa user to search for hazard objects based on a set of hazard attributes.

Specific examples of the operations of the hazard management system 100will now be discussed by reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Specifically,FIG. 2 illustrates a map of a construction site 200 that includesdifferent types of hazardous conditions arising out of constructionmachineries, materials, and other elements that are commonly found in aconstruction site. In addition, a sensor device is attached to each ofthe construction machineries, batches of materials, workers to provide alive (real-time) site data feed to the hazard management system 100.

Based on the live site data feed from the construction site 200, thehazard management system 100 instantiated hazard objects 205, 210, 215,220, and 225. Each of the hazard objects 205, 210, 215, 220, and 225 isinstantiated because a portion of the site data feed satisfies thehazard criteria of at least one hazard context stored in the hazardcontext database 105. For example, the analysis engine 115 instantiatedhazard object 205 because a portion of the site data satisfies thehazard criteria of the toxic hazard context (e.g., the site dataindicates that a batch of toxic material has arrived at a location inthe construction site 200). Similarly, hazard object 210 is instantiatedbecause another portion of the site data satisfies the hazard criteriaof the explosive hazard context and the flammable hazard object. Usingthe same technique, hazard object 215 is instantiated by its associationwith the toxic hazard context, hazard object 220 is instantiated by itsassociation with the falling object hazard context, and hazard object225 is instantiated by its association with the flammable hazard contextand the toxic hazard context.

FIG. 2 illustrates that the analysis engine 115 also initializes hazardattributes for the hazard objects during instantiation. In this example,the analysis engine 115 has initialized the vaporizable attribute with a‘true’ value for hazard object 205. The analysis engine 115 alsoinitialized the explosive trigger attribute with a value of ‘fire’ andthe temperature threshold attribute with a value of ‘140 F’ for hazardobject 210. For hazard object 215, the analysis engine has initializedthe vaporizable attribute with a ‘false’ value.

Although most of the attributes include only one value, the analysisengine 115 of some embodiments may initialize some attributes of ahazard object with more than one value. For example, the analysis engine115 in this example initialized the compliance attribute with the valuesof ‘hard hat’ and ‘training’ for hazard object 220. Lastly, the analysisengine 115 initialized the temperature threshold attribute with a valueof ‘250 F’ and the vaporizable attribute with a value of ‘true’ forhazard object 225. As mentioned above, the analysis engine 115 of someembodiments initializes the hazard attributes for a hazard object basedon the associated hazard context(s), the geographical location of thehazard, and the environment of the surrounding (including neighboringhazards). Thus, even though hazard objects 205, 215, and 225 have sharethe vaporizable attribute, the values may be different depending ontheir respective hazards.

In some embodiments, the analysis engine 115 of some embodiments allowsa user to search for hazard objects based on a set of attributes. Forexample, if a user searches for hazard objects that includes atemperature threshold of a value smaller than 130 F, the analysis engine115 would return hazard object 210.

In addition, the hazard objects of some embodiments include location andboundary information of the corresponding hazard. FIG. 2 alsoillustrates the relative location and boundary of the hazard objects205, 210, 215, 220, and 225 with respect to the construction site 200.Although the boundary of the hazard objects are shown to be ellipticalin this example, one skilled in the art would appreciate that theboundary of a hazard object can be of any size, shape, (e.g., regular orirregular shapes), volume, duration, extent, etc.

In addition to hazard objects, FIG. 2 also illustrates the location ofworkers 250, 255, and 260 on the construction site 200 based on the livesite data feed. Specifically, worker 255 is shown to be near hazardobject 215 and worker 260 is shown to be near hazard object 225. Worker250 is also shown to be entering the boundary of hazard object 220. Thesite data also shows that worker 250 does not have proper training toenter the boundary represented by hazard object 220. Differentembodiments of the analysis engine 115 generate different sets of hazardnotification criteria. In this example, analysis engine 115 generates aset of hazard criteria that is satisfied when a worker without propercompliance entering the boundary of any hazard objects. Thus, sinceworker 250 does not have the required compliance, the analysis engine115 transmits a notification to an output display (preferably an outputdisplay that is attached to worker 205, or in addition to an outputdisplay of a supervisor of the construction site 200).

In some embodiments, the hazard management system 100 also includes adashboard 120 for providing a visual presentation of the hazard objectsand for allowing a user to interact with the system 100 (e.g.,authorizing certain workers to enter the boundary of a hazard object).In some of these embodiments, the visual presentation provided by thedashboard 120 looks similar to what is shown in FIG. 2. In addition tothe information of the hazard objects, the visual presentation of someembodiments includes additional selectable buttons (e.g., an inputdevice that is attached to the display or a selectable item on thedisplay) for allowing the user to further interact with the system 100.

As mentioned, the analysis engine 115 of some embodiments is configuredto update the set of hazard objects of a construction site based on thelive data feed. FIG. 3 illustrates a set of hazard objects based on thelive site feed of construction site 200 at a time subsequent to the timein FIG. 2 (e.g., if FIG. 2 represents a set of hazard objects for theconstruction site 200 at time=n, FIG. 3 represents a set of hazardobjects for the construction site 200 at time=n+Δ).

Factors such as movement of the machineries, consumption of materialsetc. contribute to the changes of the hazard objects. Thus, the analysisengine 115 of some embodiments is configured to update the set of hazardobjects based on these changes in circumstances. As shown, hazard object205 has moved closer to hazard object 210 such that a portion of theirboundaries are overlapped.

In addition, because the site data indicates that the circumstances thatgive rise to hazard object 220 no longer exists at time=n+Δ, theanalysis engine 115 deconstructs hazard object 220. For hazard object225, since the site data indicates that the flammable materials havebeen consumed, the analysis engine 115 removes its association from theflammable hazard context, removes the temperature threshold attribute,and reduces the size (boundary) of hazard object 225. Furthermore, sinceanother portion of the site data feed at time=n+Δ satisfies the hazardcriteria of the flammable hazard context, the analysis engine 115instantiates an additional hazard object 230, and initializes itstemperature threshold attribute with a value of ‘150 F’.

In some embodiments, the analysis engine 115 is also configured togenerate an alert to the supervisor of the construction site 200 basedon the hazardous conditions on the site 200. For example, the analysisengine 115 can be configured to generate an alert when a hazard objectthat is associated with a toxic hazard context, indicates that itincludes vaporizable toxic material and has a boundary that touches upona boundary of another hazard object that is associated with theflammable hazard context. In this case, the analysis engine 115 wouldgenerate an alert at time=n+Δ because hazard object 205 is overlappedwith hazard object 210.

It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many moremodifications besides those already described are possible withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subjectmatter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of theappended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification andthe claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possiblemanner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises”and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements,components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that thereferenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized,or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are notexpressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at leastone of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . andN, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from thegroup, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hazard management system comprising: a hazardcontext database storing a plurality of hazard contexts, each hazardcontext comprises hazard criteria and hazard attributes; a sensorinterface configured to acquire a site data feed representative of aconstruction site; and a hazard analysis engine coupled to the sensorinterface and the hazard context database, and configured to:instantiate a hazard object from a hazard context by comparing the sitedata feed to hazard criteria of the plurality of hazard contexts; updatehazard attributes associated with the hazard object based on the sitedata feed and the plurality of hazard contexts; generate hazardnotification criteria related to the hazard object based on theassociated hazard attributes; obtain worker attributes from the sitedata; and transmit a hazard notification to an output device when theworker attributes cause satisfaction of the hazard notificationcriteria.
 2. The hazard context management system of claim 1, whereinthe analysis engine is further configured to instantiate the hazardobject when a portion of the site data meets the hazard criteria of atleast one of the plurality of hazard contexts.
 3. The hazard contextmanagement system of claim 2, wherein the analysis engine is furtherconfigured to deconstruct the hazard object when the portion of the sitedata no longer meets the hazard criteria of any one of the plurality ofhazard contexts.
 4. The hazard context management system of claim 2,wherein the analysis engine is further configured to instantiate thehazard object by initializing the hazard attributes associated with thehazard object based on the hazard attributes of at least one of theplurality of hazard contexts.
 5. The hazard context management system ofclaim 1, wherein the hazard object is a dynamic hazard object, whereinthe site data feed is a real-time site data feed, wherein the analysisengine is further configured to continuously update the hazardattributes associated with the hazard object based on the real-time sitedata feed and the plurality of hazard context.
 6. The hazard contextmanagement system of claim 1, wherein the analysis engine is furtherconfigured to monitor a plurality of hazard objects.
 7. The hazardcontext management system of claim 6, further comprises a dashboard thatis configured to display a visual representation of the plurality ofhazard objects.
 8. The hazard context management system of claim 6,wherein the analysis engine is further configured to log a history ofeach of the plurality of hazard objects.
 9. The hazard contextmanagement system of claim 8, further comprises a dashboard that isconfigured to display the logged history of each of the plurality ofhazard objects.
 10. The hazard context management system of claim 1,further comprises an alert criteria database storing a set of hazardalert criteria.
 11. The hazard context management system of claim 10,wherein the analysis engine is further configured to generate an alertwhen the hazard attributes of one or more hazard objects collectivelysatisfy the set of hazard alert criteria.
 12. The hazard contextmanagement system of claim 1, wherein the analysis engine is furtherconfigured to search for hazard objects based on a set of hazardattributes.
 13. The hazard context management system of claim 1, whereinthe hazard object comprises information indicating a location and aboundary within the construction site.
 14. The hazard context managementsystem of claim 1, wherein each worker's attributes comprise currentlocation of the worker and certifications of the worker.
 15. The hazardcontext management system of claim 1, wherein the hazard notificationcriteria comprises a history of the hazard object, compliancerequirements for the workers, and jurisdiction.
 16. The hazard contextmanagement system of claim 1, wherein the analysis engine is furtherconfigured to transmit a notification when the worker attributesindicate that a worker without proper compliance enters a boundaryassociated with the hazard object.
 17. The hazard context managementsystem of claim 1, wherein the analysis engine is further configured tolog a history of notification caused by each worker on the constructionsite.
 18. The hazard context management system of claim 1, wherein thesite data comprises at least one of the following: environment data,data related to locations of different materials, data related tolocations of different machineries, data related to locations ofworkers, and workers' attributes.
 19. The hazard context managementsystem of claim 1, wherein the hazard attributes associated with thehazard object comprises compliance requirements for workers to enter aboundary of the hazard object.
 20. The hazard context management systemof claim 19, further comprising a dashboard that is configured to allowa supervisor to authorize a particular worker without proper complianceto enter the boundary of the hazard object.